Sand and Sage Round-Up MARKET CHICKEN STUDY GUIDE Senior Division (14 years of age and over as of December 31)

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1 Sand and Sage Round-Up MARKET CHICKEN STUDY GUIDE Senior Division (14 years of age and over as of December 31) Questions will come from: Colorado 4-H Ethical Care of Poultry handout Meat Quality Assurance Market Chicken Study Guide You should know the meaning of the following terms. Albumen - The liquid portion surrounding the yolk of an egg. American Standard of Perfection - Official reference book of American Poultry Association; gives complete descriptions for all breeds and varieties of poultry recognized by the Association. Avian - Relating to or pertaining to birds of all feathered species. Axial feather - The short feather in the middle of the wing that separates the primary feathers from the secondary feathers. Also called key feather. Back - The rear part of the body from the neck to the end of the spine. Bantams - Miniature chickens, usually one-fourth to one-fifth the weight of regular chickens. Barred feathers - Having alternate bands of different color. Beak - The horny mouth parts of chickens, turkeys and upland game birds. Bird - An individual of any avian species. Body feathers - The main group of feathers located on a bird s body. Breast - Front of body, from point of keel to base of neck. Breed - A group of birds related by breeding with the same physical traits. Chick - A newly hatched chicken of either sex. Cock - A male chicken more than one year of age. Cockerel - A male chicken under one year of age. Comb - The fleshy protruding part on top of the head of a chicken. Coop - The place where chickens are kept; at shows, the cage in which a chicken is exhibited. Crop - The enlarged part of the gullet, between the neck and body, in which food is stored temporarily and softened for digestion. Cushion - A mass of feathers over the back and base of the tail of a chicken, giving it a rounded effect. Flock - A group of chickens living together. Fryer (Broiler) - A young, meat-type chicken, usually processed before eight weeks of age. Gizzard - An organ that contains grit for grinding up the grain poultry eats. Hen - A female of many avian species. Keel - The lower portion of the breast bone. Keel bone - The breast bone or sternum. Meat-type - Large bodied, fast growing and heavily muscled chickens. Pullet - A female chicken less than one year old. Roaster - A young, meat-type chicken, usually processed at 3-4 months of age weight 4-6 pounds.spur - Stiff horny projection on the rear innermost portion of the shank.

2 You should know how to figure: Profit or loss on your project. Total income minus total expenses $100 income per pen minus $66.00 expenses = $34.00 (total profit) You should know: There are over 150 breeds of poultry and 340 different color combinations. From four original wild types (naturally occurring) of chickens, breeders have developed more than 60 distinct breeds of chickens. In 1993, every person in the United States consumed an average of 77 pounds of broilers (ready to cook weight), 18 pounds of turkey meat and 234 eggs. Types of combs are single, V-shaped, rose, pea comb, buttercup, cushion and strawberry. The rear back area of the male is called the saddle and on the female a cushion. Neck feathers are called hackle feathers on the male (pointed) and cape feathers on the female (rounded). A variety is a subdivision of a breed. A variety is identified by either feather color (black, white, red, brown), bearded or non-bearded, presence or absence of muffs or comb type. A breed may have many varieties. An egg has four parts: Chalaza, Albumen, Yolk and Germ spot. Eggs are one of nature s most complete foods. The reason for an egg s high nutritional value is that it supplies the developing chick its only source of food while inside the egg. This explains the perfect balance of the six nutrients essential for growth. A pullet begins to lay eggs between weeks of age. It takes a fryer days to reach 3.8 pounds market weight. Provide adult birds with at least two square feet in a coop or hen house. Provide 3-4 inches of a type of litter that doesn t compact or cake. Use a starter mash of 18-22% protein for the first 4-8 weeks and a growing mash of 16-18% protein for 8-12 weeks. A chicken will lay up to 270 eggs per year. It takes a fertile incubated chicken egg 21 days to hatch. Chickens are probably the most common bird in the world and are raised on every continent.

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